Inside the Phillies with MLB.com beat writer Todd Zolecki

Rollins Feels Fast Again

Jimmy Rollins said he feels fast again.

He has been slowed since he strained his right hamstring Sept. 8. He missed most of September, and has hit .167 (5 for 30) with one double, one home and four RBIs in nine games, including a 1-for-11 effort in three games against the Reds in the NLDS. But Rollins said he sprinted for the first time in a long time yesterday.

“I didn’t feel sore afterward, which is always good,” he said today. “I haven’t been in a game situation where I’ve tried to steal or even needed to steal. Until that situation happens that’s going to be a hard question to answer as far as how I feel. But I am fast, and that’s good. I could probably beat out some infield singles again. I don’t have to let those pitchers beat me to the bag when I know I should be beating them.”

The leg feels good, but what about his timing and rhythm at the plate?

“It’s been a week so hopefully I forgot the old timing and got some new stuff working,” Rollins said. “I saw the ball well. I wasn’t really fooled that series, which is a good sign. But getting hits was pretty hard for me. I’m just glad I didn’t go hitless. We’ll start tomorrow and all of those questions will be answered.”

Rollins just finished his worst regular season in the big leagues, hitting .243 with eight homers, 41 RBIs, a .320 on-base percentage and a .374 slugging percentage in 88 games because of right calf and right hamstring injuries that kept him off the field.

“Very challenging,” Rollins said of his season. “You have good at-bats, then you take five weeks off, have some more at-bats, then another two weeks off. I’m a guy who’s always been on the field every single day. I’ll get a day off here and there … and I understand why they did that, but this year I really didn’t have a choice. Mentally, it was a completely different approach to the season. Hopefully, it’s something I never have to go through again.”

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The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!

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